Travel

Casa Julfa is located in Montmorillon, 86500, South West France, It’s relatively easy to get here from most parts of the world, grace of our local train station which connects the cities of Limoges and Poitiers (both of which have small airports) for high speed connections to Paris and the international Airports of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Bordeaux.

Below you will find some more detailed information depending on your departure point. We are happy to assist with travel arrangements, just contact us hello@casajulfa.org

  • By plane Ryainair currently offers low-cost direct flights between Marseille Provence and Limoges (75km south of Casa Julfa) Chalair offers flights between Lyon and Limoges (please see information below for straight-forward options to connect to Casa Julfa from there.

    By train, From Paris, there are direct trains from Montparnasse to Poitiers (just over an hour) where you can then make an easy change to the local line train to Montmorillon (around 45 minutes). You can also travel directly to Poitiers (then on to Montmorillon as above) from Bordeaux, Lille, Brussels and a number of other destinations.

    By Car,

  • The easiest way to travel to Casa Julfa from international destinations is to fly into  Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and then connect the high-speed train to Poitiers and then one simple change to the local-line train which brings you directly to Montmorillon. For those travelling from Morocco, ryanair currently offers direct between Limoges and Marrakesh (see further information below)

    We suggest you book your train tickets directly with scnf or The trainline. Another option is to fly into Bordeaux airport and travel by train or hire car. 

  • By plane - Ryainair currently offers direct flights between many major UK cities to our local airports of Limoges (75km south of Casa Julfa - Flights to and from Bristol, East Midlands, Leeds- Bradford, London Stanstead, Manchester) ) and Poitiers (50km north of Casa Julfa Flights to Edinburgh, London Stanstead as well as Barcelona) - . You can get at a taxi then the train to Casa Julfa from both airports.

    By train, it’s possible to take the Eurostar directly to Gare du Nord and then either take a taxi or the metro to Paris Montparnasse where you can get a direct train to Poitiers (just over an hour) and again change for the local line train to Montmorillon (around 45 minutes).

  • Our closest train station is Montmorillion, it´s a 10-15 minute (depending on how much luggage you have with you!) walk from the Casa. Montmorillon connects to Limoges/Poitiers for high speed connections to Paris and the Airports of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Bordeaux. The closest airports are Poitiers and Limoges, from there you can transfer to the locale train (At Limoges Airport, you need to take a short taxi ride to the train station.) or hire a car (the cheapest options) or take a taxi (the quickest but most expensive option at around 120 euros. You can also connect via train to Paris and Bordeaux airports relatively easily. 

Logistical questions about bookings

  • Residents are free to arrive at Casa Julfa anytime time after 15:00 on the arrival day (First day of your residency or workshop - unless otherwise specified) Residents must vacate both the room and studio by 11am on the day of departure to allow us to prepare and receive the following resident(s).

    By train, From Paris, there are direct trains from Montparnasse to Poitiers (just over an hour) where you can then make an easy change to the local line train to Montmorillon (around 45 minutes). You can also travel directly to Poitiers (then on to Montmorillon as above) from Bordeaux, Lille, Brussels and a number of other destinations.

  • Our residencies run back to back on Thursday´s, that is to say that won´t be possible (in most cases) to arrive the night before because there will be another resident already present at Casa Julfa (same goes for departures). What some people chose to do is book a hotel the night before, there are many available in Montmorillon, but we recommend Le Arbre d´Ange which is less than 20 meters from Casa Julfa and owned by a lovely local couple (please note that Montmorillon is a popular tourist destination in spring/ summer so early booking is recommended.)

  • If you arrive for a self-directed residency, you can begin work independently on the same day you arrive (that is to say after check-in at 15:00) for a supported residency, you can start work on these days, but any tuition/ advice will only be available the following day. 

  • Of course friends, partners and family friends are welcome to join a cost of 295 euro per week. The cost is the same if they themselves are a maker or thinker, they will have all the same access to the principal guest who books.

  • You can wait to reserve an additional guest up to four months before your stay - it´s possible to arrange afterwards but we cannot guarantee because those with accompanying guests are always given the larger Estrella apartment, where they have a separate bedroom for their guest. 

  • Meals are not included in our residency programme, but you have your own kitchen to prepare them as and when you want. There are several shops a very close to the house that sell local organic produce and there are also several super markets on the edge of town (a short cycle ride from the house). The is the large market on wednesday´s, right in the center of town and there is also a small market on Saturdays. There are also several restaurants and cafe´s in town as well. 

Clay Questions

Here you should find the answers to most questions relevant for Clay based residencies and workshops.

  • The simplest way to answer is that for a self-directed residency you really do need to be able to work independently, that is to say, make the work that you want to make in a way that won't damage the kilns. We do say that you should be able to fire your own work, but in all truth we will load/ fire the kiln for you, we mention this more so that those who are wanting to join us understand that you will need to be autonomous.

    If you just want to get on and make your own work in a magical and inspirational space a self directed residency will be perfect for you, but if you would like someone to bounce ideas off of, learn some extra or specific techniques and need help checking that your work is kiln self then a supported residency would be more suitable. 

  • Yes of course, one biscuit and one glaze firing is included in the price, in our electric Rhode. If you need to do an additional firing we just charge them at cost - currently 45 euro

  • 5 kg of earthenware clay is included in the price and you can purchase more at cost if you need. one biscuit and one glaze firing is included in the price, if you need to do an additional firing we just charge them at the actual cost.

  • Yes

  • The way we do the wood-firing workshop is highly personalised anyway, sometimes people prefer to be guided to do most of the process themselves and other times they just want to be present whilst it happens, the cost of the workshop is always the same because of the inherent costs (wood, hire of land, wear and tear on kiln) and that of our time are always the same and obviously one of us always has to be present to insure no damage to the kiln or the surrounding area (the kiln is located by a lake in a nature reserve)

Post- Booking questions…

  • Residents are free to arrive at Casa Julfa anytime time after 15:00 on the arrival day (First day of your residency or workshop - unless otherwise specified) Residents must vacate both the room and studio by 11am on the day of departure to allow us to prepare and receive the following resident(s).

    By train, From Paris, there are direct trains from Montparnasse to Poitiers (just over an hour) where you can then make an easy change to the local line train to Montmorillon (around 45 minutes). You can also travel directly to Poitiers (then on to Montmorillon as above) from Bordeaux, Lille, Brussels and a number of other destinations.